Besides sports, this is the last time I can figure New York beat out Philadelphia on a major scale. Too bad that not too many people know about it. Literally: The academic journal I linked above actually opens with the sentence, “It is not usually remembered that Philadelphia was almost selected in 1946 to be the permanent headquarters of the United Nations.” And that was written in 1976! The story has faded even more since then. I didn’t learn of this incident — this theft! — until I was well into my twenties.

And, you know, thank God. Sometimes I think about this and wonder what Philadelphia would be like if it had gotten the UN HQ. Center City Philadelphia, where I’ve lived for almost 10 years, would be a much different place had the UN placed its headquarters here. The plan was to put it near Independence Hall.

And yet, we have an inferiority complex. At least per the New York Times.

Chris Christie has been in London the last few days on a trade mission. Let’s get to the most important part of this story first: His London trip did not stop him from commenting on the video 94 WIP released at Wing Bowl of him falling off a chair.

"Well I am never talking about Philly fans again," Chris Christie just said as he strolled street in London after soccer match.

Now, Travel + Leisure has just come out with their list of the best new restaurants in the world, and has given Philly a page, noting, “This unsung destination has blossomed into one of the U.S.’s most exciting restaurant cities—Portland East?—with a fierce indie spirit and world-class kitchen talent.”

Nice, right? Local names given a specific shout-out include Serpico, Michael Solomonov (Zahav and FedNuts, sure, but more lovingly Abe Fisher and Dizengoff), and both Fork and High Street On Market which gets the closing line, reading, “The artisanal breads and the caraway-rye rigatoni with pastrami ragù are reasons alone to go to Philly.”

So we’re awesome is the point here. At least for today. But in the immortal words of the legendary Dirk Diggler, “We can always do better. I’m gonna keep trying if you guys keep trying. Let’s keep rocking and rolling, man!”

The New York Times released a ranking of “52 Places to Go in 2015″ today and there’s a pleasant surprise that should make you smile from ear-to-ear: Philly is ranked third in the entire world just behind Milan and Cuba and tops in the United States, edging out Yellowstone National Park at number four.

It’s a glitzy list that includes a mesmerizing animated GIF of the scenes from the new Schuylkill Banks Boardwalk. So, what makes Philly the place to be in 2015?

Philadelphia, for instance, spends 28 percent more on books than the national average. And 95 percent less than the national average on “mutton, goat and game.” Thus confirming the old stereotype about our town: It’s not a big place for mutton.

A week ago, the New York Times published an op-ed by Jonathan Tepper titled “Why I’m Giving Up My Passport.” The economist, who insists he is “not a tycoon”, says tax laws are too onerous for him to continue being a citizen.

“If America makes it so difficult to be American, I’ll happily just be British,” he wrote. Tepper has spent just eight of his 38 years living in the U.S. and has voted in only one presidential election, so it doesn’t seem like that much of a loss for the country.

Yesterday, responding to the article was none other than local columnist and lawyer Christine Flowers, who actually opens her two-paragraph letter with a Peggy Noonan-style personal anecdote.

Life is filled with ironies. Stopping by a Starbucks after a hearing in immigration court, I opened up the paper and read the essay by Jonathan Tepper explaining that he was renouncing his United States citizenship because of tax filing requirements. At a cerebral level, I could appreciate if not agree with his fiscal reasons for relinquishing his passport.

Last Friday, The New York Times ran a column titled “The Bro Hug: Embracing a Change in Custom,” this month’s installment of Henry Alford’s “Circa Now.” It’s about the evolutions in how men greet each other, and the perceived uptick in hugging among men.

A fun story. But less fun if you’d happen to read “More young men friends embracing — which has the amazing URL slug “younger-men-older-men-more-men” in the Philly.com archives — that ran in The Philadelphia Inquirer in June.

The piece, by the Inky’s Samantha Melamed, was not the first piece about men hugging. But both it and the Times story months later cited several of the same sources.

The New York Times profiles Philly LGBT housing development, the John C. Anderson Apartments yesterday, spotlighting several residents and offering commentary on how the home is filling a terrible void that’s been felt in the LGBT community for far too long:

Ingrid Williams visits Little Nonna’s for the New York Times. The only flaw she finds is in the pricy wine list.

[O]n a chilly evening in November, I couldn’t resist the Sunday gravy. A heaping portion of “gravy” (marinara made with San Marzano tomatoes) and paccheri (the macaroni of the day) arrived on one platter, and on another were assorted meats — pork braciole, spicy fennel sausage, meatballs stuffed with fontina. Other memorable dishes deviated from the traditional tried and true, like bruschetta with roasted figs, Gorgonzola dolce, celery hearts and crunchy hazelnuts. And a standout pasta dish featured braised duck, pecorino and turnips atop chestnut ravioli stuffed with roasted heirloom squash.